It was something I loved. There was so much he was missing., She believes that Lennons guilt over the estrangement made him awkward with Julian at first. While working at their home office at the Dakota building, however, Pang immediately sensed a chill between her bosses. Ono suggested to Pang that she become Lennon's companion. Before she became an important part of John Lennon's later years, May Pang was born to a Chinese family and spent much of her early childhood in New York City's Spanish Harlem, as stated in Salon. Yoko was calling 10-15 times a day wanting to know what was going on. Later, John told me that she went to him after and said: I fixed it for you., Pang asserts that Lennon wasnt initially on board. John Lennon: The Beatles REUNION that never was - 'PLAN' revealed He wouldve been very vocal about what he was going on in the world. Parts of Pangs story dovetail perfectly with todays sensitivity to the consequences of workplace sexual harassment. That became impossible starting one day in 1973 when Ono came to Pang and told her she and Lennon werent getting along and that she believed he was going to start seeing other women. On October 28, 2002, I had a candid conversation with May, in which she . "Close, but not quite.". [2] Pang was then asked to be Lennon and Ono's secretary and factotum/gofer in New York and Britain, which led to a permanent position as their personal assistant when the Lennons moved from London to New York in 1971. May Pang - IMDb John Lennon's mistress May Pang lifts the lid on her last encounter his The relationship began while Pang was working for the couple in their apartment at the Dakota. Courtsey of May Pang So began an 18-month-long affair that has come to be known as. Loving John by May Pang | Goodreads The women who shaped, seduced and scarred John Lennon After the split from Lennon, Pang was married to David Bowie producer Tony Visconti from 1989 to 2000, with two children now in their early 30s. [37] Cynthia Lennon also provided a back cover endorsement, acknowledging Pang's role in reuniting Lennon with his estranged first son, Julian. They lived together in Los Angeles and New York from 1973 to early 1975, before the ex-Beatle reunited with wife Yoko. Pangs parents, who had an arranged and unhappy marriage, were Chinese immigrants who, before coming to America, endured the Japanese invasion of their country that killed millions. Pangs defiant character made her a natural fan of rocknroll. He wasnt jumping for joy, she said. Pang's Asian background made her a veritable outsider both where she lived and where she went to school. And I said, 'What?' May Pang - Wikipedia John Lennon's Ex May Pang Reveals She Cried the First Time - People Its my version. And, because I was 10 years younger, we were getting to do all the things young couples do., Pang insists that the ex-Beatle only used the term lost weekend to refer to that time because he was tired of the press constantly asking him about two high-profile incidents in 1974 in which he was tossed from an Los Angeles club for being inebriated and verbally abusive. You should be very happy now. Her response was very interesting to me. Walls and Bridges rose to the top spot on the album charts. John Lennon: How Yoko Ono face-to-face with May Pang Lennon told her the view reminded him of The Mersey River in his native Liverpool. That doesnt square with what the film has implied that Lennon had drifted away from Yoko. Pang was born in New York, New York to Chinese parents.. Pang was a secretary at ABKCO, a management company started by Allen Klein, in New York City. I told them: I did!!. She was reluctant at first, but Pang and Lennon were soon together. But according to Pang, the fabled tales of Lennons misbehavior, as when he and Harry Nilsson, after too many Brandy Alexanders, got kicked out of the Troubadour nightclub for heckling the Smothers Brothers, were more the exception than the rule. He hadnt seen his father in such a long time, she said. The Lost Weekend: A Love Story: Directed by Eve Brandstein, Richard Kaufman, Stuart Samuels. Afterwards, Id say to him, Where is this going? And hed say, I dont know. Pang was married to producer Tony Visconti from 1989 to 2000 and has two children. Read Next: CinemaCon Report Card: Scorsese and Barbie Impress, Wonka Confounds and Christoper Nolan Takes Big Swing, That Old Jack Black Magic: As the Villain of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Actor Gives His Peachiest Performance in Years, Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World Review: Its Conventional but Delivers, Four Quartets Review: A Film of Ralph Fiennes One-Man Show Channels the Majesty of T.S. I wanted it to be just me and him.. When May Pang's name appeared on a village election ballot last month, some of her neighbors may not have realized how interwoven her life has been with rock and roll history. But thats something wed have to guess at, since the life of John Lennon remains, for all the ways its been chronicled, not quite knowable. "[Ono] did not realize it was going to turn into such a big love affair," Pang says in the trailer. The romance between the two started just shortly before they left for Los Angeles in 1972. My memories of that time with Dad and May are very clearthey were the happiest time I can remember with them. Stevie Wonder was there. Every musician in L.A. wanted to participate, but soon Lennon's drinking and Spector's erratic behavior (which included his firing a gun in the studio control room) caused the sessions to break down. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. It was Dec. 29, 1974, when Lennon picked up his pen and signed a stack of documents brought down by one of Apple's lawyers to Disney World, where Pang, John and Julian were vacationing. With May's help, Lennon reunited with his son Julian and had his most artistically and commercially productive period post . John had also begun visiting Yoko, for "business matters" and to possibly arrange a divorce. [4][8] Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, had been arguing and were growing apart, and said that Lennon would start seeing other women. I used to study the liner notes to learn about the songwriters and producers. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's relationship: how they met, their - Nine John loved movie stars. The Preston & Steve Show had the opportunity to speak with May via Zoom before the debut of her movie, The Lost Weekend: A In a way thats as casually stirring as it it surprising, we see them bury the acrimony and rediscover their friendship. After working for John Lennon and Yoko Ono as their. I loved this woman (Pang), I made some beautiful music and I got so fucked up with booze and shit and whatever."[30][31]. At the time, she was married to producer Tony Visconti, who worked with artists including David Bowie. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. I just wanted to treat him as a regular person. Pang received an RIAA gold record award for her work on Walls and Bridges and continued her work as production coordinator of Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll album, where she was credited as "Mother Superior". Dismissed by her stern father, who imagined he was still king of the roost back in China, May found herself subject to the ancient cultural tradition of sons being superior to daughters. Pang said Lennon eventually asked her out. John was drinking, but that was overblown in retrospect, says Pang. She said: Happy? I needed a rest." I can't do that, he's my employer, he's my boss. Who better to tell the story than me? May Pang The album Walls And Bridges was recorded in July and August 1974. Two days later, Lennon reappeared at a joint dental appointment; he was stupefied and confused to such an extent that Pang believed he had been brainwashed. Another song, "Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)", was written about her. That he became a fixture at the Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset Boulevard along with Harry Nilsson, Alice Cooper, Bernie Taupin, Mickey Dolenz, and others who became known as the Hollywood Vampires. In 1975, Lennon and Pang moved back to New York but lived in their own apartment away from the Dakota. Pang tells her version of what happened in "The Lost Weekend," which is billed as a love story. She would say: I just wanted you to know that I took a walk around the block.. Wow! Lennon achieved his only number-one solo US single in his lifetime with "Whatever Gets You Thru the Night". That Yoko, trying to save the marriage, made the decision to set up John with May Pang, basically instructing the two of them to have a romantic affair. 1 solo single with Whatever Gets You Through the Night, a collaboration with Elton John; she recalls John being inspired for the title by a sermon by eccentric TV evangelist Reverend Ike. Gruen called the local police precinct which confirmed that three other people had reported a sighting, and the Daily News said that five people had reported a sighting in the same area of New York where Lennon and Pang lived. Her father, a traditional Chinese man of that era, had no interest in a daughter but her mother provided an assertive role model. He reconnected with Julian Lennon, his son by his first wife, Cynthia, and his fellow ex-Beatles, at one point living with Ringo Starr in a Santa Monica beach house. I knew that John and Yoko, after marrying in 1969 and seeming like inseparable soulmates in art and life, began to have problems as a couple. Pang also arranged for Julian Lennon to visit his father for the first time in almost four years. Cynthia Lennon, who died of cancer in 2015, at the age of 75. Pang recalls he went to meet with her, promising to come back to their E. 52nd Street apartment and take her to dinner. It was all a lark; Pang was just going with the flow. We found out together. ", "I'm not even gonna say what happened, some of it was ridiculous," he says. Within minutes after being shot, John Lennon was dead at age 40. She worked for John Lennon and Yoko Ono as a personal assistant and production coordinator, and when Lennon and Ono separated in 1973, Pang and Lennon began a relationship that lasted more than 18 months. He would sarcastically say to them: Hey it was a drunken weekend, OK? Pang said. Pang and Visconti have since divorced. Yoko kept pushing, but I waited for John to make the first move, says May. May Pang. ", The film even explains how Lennon's only number one single as a solo artist came to be written in the small apartment. May and John returned to New York in the late summer of 1974, to begin work on John's album Walls And Bridges and "get away from the bottle". Lennon and Ono were having marital problems and Ono suggested to Pang that she become Lennon's companion. Life with John Lennon: Pomona's May Pang tells all - The Journal News The pair was forced to return to New York in February 1974 for Lennon to meet with lawyers about his immigration status in the U.S. Yoko told John she wanted a divorce and ordered him to her attorneys office to sign the papers. If there's one thing that May Pang has been fighting for the last 28 years, it's the idea that John Lennon was depressed, isolated and out of control during . Everything to him was barmy Whats wrong with everyone? I miss those conversations.. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. The first time she saw Lennon and Ono at the office, she was a bit taken aback. She was a real warrior, Pang said. The Lost Weekend is a compelling movie and a valuable puzzle piece, but its only pretending to be the whole puzzle. She was asking me that but, at the same time, she said: You will! Pang said. "One way of putting it.". Like the rest of her boomer generation, Pang fell in love with the Beatles from seeing them on The Ed Sullivan Show, but her fave Fab at first wasnt John, but Ringo. There was a more artistic feel on this side of the border. RIP John. May Pang interview (January 2011) | The Beatles Bible Theres amazing archival material throughout, and it gives you an unusually rich sense of what Lennon was like away from the limelight. He and Ono had not divorced, only temporarily. Lennon asked a real estate broker to put in an offer for it in February 1975. He always had a pad and his pencil or Flair pen, and he writes it down," Pang said. He had his first No. She remains friends with Julian Lennon to this day. Lennon himself used the words "lost weekend" to describe his time of drinking and drugging while apart from his wife. She told me, 'I'm thinking of taking John back.' The original 500-page Loving John book focused mainly on Pang's role on Lennon's albums and sessions. The movies story is told, in part, through animation and a period soundtrack put together by veteran music supervisor Howard Paar with the images created to resemble Lennons own artful squiggles, seen on any number of handwritten notes from him to May that also appear in the film. We hear Pangs stories about how Lennon, in a drunken fit of confronting his demons, smashed up their place in L.A., and how he would hit her sometimes. I was also surprised at some of the footage that was found of me. After graduating high school in the early seventies, May decided against college, wanting instead to get in on the ground floor of the music industry, and make the business end of music her career. But John spontaneously decided to go to L.A. on his own and asked me to go with him. Ono approved the move, Pang alleges, because she wanted to have an affair of her own with another musician. Though the ex-Beatle eventually returned to his life with Ono, for complex reasons described in the documentary, Pang contends that it was a total surprise to her. I took him to parks., She also helped him re-connect to his life before Ono entered the picture. Despite her love of the Beatles music, Pang says she had no fantasies about Lennon at that time. May Pang, John Lennon's Lover During "The Lost Weekend", Shares Rock 'n An old interview clip of Ono featured in the trailer sees the artist call Pang "a very good assistant," and Pang explains that her job was "taking care of everything, working in the studio, doing clothes, doing the publicity.". These vintage photos captured beautiful moments of May Pang and John Lennon during their dating days. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. He was getting to hang out with his friends and have a lot of fun, she said. The central figure in the new documentary The Lost Weekend: A Love Story is May Pang, who has told her tale many times (in her memoir, and on talk shows like Geraldo in the film, we see a lot of clips of those appearances). When it came to the political scene, Pang said she was motivated by what she called the deterioration of the East Ramapo school district, where her two adult children had attended high school, and other village issues. For more information, visit www.hkdpl.org. At 7 p.m. Monday, Pang is scheduled to talk about her life with Lennon and the Beatles at the Haverstraw King's Daughters Public Library in Garnerville. "It hits you in the gut because this has been my home for a while," she said. People will find out: May Pang on her time with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The music took me to the next level.. They were like two magnets that were repelling against each other, she said. Pang claims that she and Lennon remained lovers until 1977, and stayed in contact until his death. At this time, Pang encouraged Lennon to reach out to family and friends. Lennon later referred to this time as his "Lost Weekend". at the age of 40, John was murdered by obsessed fan Mark Chapman . I felt awful, and I told John that, she says. Pang, 72, was just 19 years old when she landed a job at Apple Records, and before long, she was working as the personal assistant to Lennon and Ono, 90. Its a portrait of the May Pang who grew up in Spanish Harlem as a second-generation Chinese-American (a minority among minorities, she says), and how she fell in love with rock n roll and fell into fame with a kind of karmic destiny. Theyre all in a safety deposit box and very valuable to me, says Pang. They looked like they hadnt taken a bath in months, she said. May Fung Lee Pang will be 72 in October, but was barely out of her teens when she boldly entered Apple's New York offices, lied about being able to type, and secured a job at the Beatles'. It was not something that I wanted. The idea that one of the greatest artists of all time was highly depressed and suffering from alcaholism at the height of his youth and fame fascinates me to no end, as it proves that some truly gifted people's struggle to find happiness can span throughout their lifetimes, however long or short. The Truth About John Lennon And Yoko Ono's Relationship Pang said she and Lennon remained romantically involved for several years afterward. Less well known is the period that followed when he and Pang returned to NYC. The pair moved in together, renting a 900 sq. Thirty years ago, Pang wrote a book, Loving John, that detailed hers, asserting her relationship with Lennon wasnt just a passing fling or fluke, as characterized by some, but a deep and abiding love. He came from a lower middle class background, says Pang, "so he appreciated people. The first was when Lennon placed a Kotex on his forehead and scuffled with a waitress at a concert given by Ann Peebles, who had released one of Lennon's favorite records at the time, 'I Can't Stand The Rain'; and the second, two weeks later, when Lennon and Nilsson were ejected from the same club after heckling the Smothers Brothers. "I think he'd be all over the internet," Pang said. I dont see a reason to, she said. If he didnt, I wouldnt have gone out with him, Pang said. The couple had a daughter, Kyoko. According to Pang, every time a call would come to the Dakota from Lennons young son Julian, from whom he had become estranged, Ono would instruct her to tell him his father wasnt available. Julian is interviewed throughout the film, and he (like his mother, Cynthia) maintained a close bond with Pang. And we have to take that on faith, since its all very subjective and not necessarily borne out by what happened. . But the only way for that to happen was John not being there., The new couples time in LA resurrected Lennons lighter side, she said, both personally and creatively. Yoko had observed Johns infidelity, so she figured that she would let him stray with a woman she could control. She was 10 years younger than Lennon (and 17 years younger than Yoko), who was her boss and a Beatle. So that's where I started out.". Lennon later referred to this time as his "Lost Weekend". All Rights Reserved. The lyrics moved me. She and Lennon were planning to meet up with Paul and Linda McCartney in New Orleans, where the couple were recording a new album. When Pang telephoned the next day, Ono told her that Lennon was unavailable because he was exhausted after a hypnotherapy session. Its no coincidence that he reconciled with Paul during this period. After enjoying 12 hours with May in her home-and at a nearby Gilligan's Seafood Restaurant near Pomona, NY,- us two Texans . "It was nice, believe me. The movie is also a portrait of Pangs romantic passion, which as she portrays it was both innocent and deeply serious. That after 18 months of partying and soul searching, John returned to Yoko, commenting at the time (in one of the wittiest quips of his life, which is saying something) that The separation didnt work out. And that his decision to go back made the entire episode look like Yokos version of a Jedi mind trick. John Lennon's Ex May Pang Recalls Yoko Ono Asking Her to Date the Beatle in 'The Lost Weekend' Trailer. Letting him? ft. apartment on East 52nd Street in Manhattan. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. And what is she doing with all those mementos Lennon left behind, the doodles, drawings and photographs? Ono told Pang he would start seeing someone new and suggested the two get together, she said. Because of her youth and position, many saw Pang as a particularly weak target for Onos agenda. "He was getting to hang out with his friends and have a lot of fun,". Ono had told Lennon she knew a way to get him to stop smoking through hypnosis. Pang, 64, gained fame in the early 1970s as John Lennon's girlfriend. We didnt know that at the time, Pang said. Anyone who she sensed was making a play for John, they were gone, she said. The documentary chronicles how after about a year there, they returned, just as impulsively, to New York, moving into a small apartment on E. 52nd St., where they lived through the first months of 1975. I found myself shaking my head at times, laughing out loud and wiping tearsI really enjoyed the film. The young woman who won John Lennon's heart, to Yoko Ono's disgust - MEAWW Why AI Has Some Viewers Asking Which Film Actors Are Real. Theyve read about it by other people. But the film makes clear that she did fall in love, and so did he. She would soon become famous for a much more intimate tie to the group than that, as her very public 18-month affair with John Lennon in the mid-70s is still a subject of great fascination to his fans, 50 years later. Ono ignored Pang's protests and said that she would arrange everything. "But he kept trying.". May Pang - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Variety and the Flying V logos are trademarks of Variety Media, LLC. One night, she and John saw a UFO from the rooftop (Lennons description and sketch of it are haunting), and according to Pang they were talking about buying a house in Montauk. Ive been told by men that Ive gone out with that Im stronger than most women, she said with a laugh. next to the Roxy. [4][7] Ono explained that she and Lennon were not getting along, had been arguing and were growing apart, and said that Lennon would start seeing other women. That in L.A., John, for the first time since the breakup of the Beatles (and maybe since the Beatles began), let his hair down and began to enjoy a more relaxed, fraternizing, at times carousing rat-pack existence. "George and him had to mend fences. Ive been told by men that Ive gone out with that Im stronger than most women. Lennon and Ono reunited in 1975, although he and Pang remained close up until his death. She also said that she continued to see him, and be intimate with him, until his death. 'The Lost Weekend: A Love Story' Review: May Pang Tells - Variety The new film makes clear that their time together lasted a lot longer than simply a weekend, and it was by no means totally lost, but their relationship was most definitely a love story, and it is interesting to speculate about what might have been had they stayed together. Our thanks to Viv Goldberg for her help in arranging the interview. Quite the arrangement,I dont know what to think? Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. I wonder if he beat her as well? Why should I let somebody else talk about my time with John? Lennon stopped drinking and concentrated on recording. May Pang on Affair With John Lennon Explored in Tribeca - Variety The so-called Lost Weekend, when John Lennon, from late 1973 through 74, separated from Yoko Ono and relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a hard-drinking rock-club night owl while carrying on an affair with the 22-year-old May Pang (who had been John and Yokos assistant), has long been part of rock mythology. May is also a successful photographer, author and . John Lennon (1940 - 1980) with Yoko Ono, December 1968. It fills in a famous episode in rock mythology, enriching the story. '", The documentary features interview with Lennon's son Julian Lennon, plus old footage of the former Beatle, including an interview in which he calls his time with Pang "ridiculous. Moving into a penthouse apartment, both May and John claimed later to have seen a UFO, hovering around their block. Quickly the pair began what the singer would call his "Lost Weekend," an 18-month-long whirlwind romance that took the two to the center of the madness of L.A.'s music scene, reunited a newly sober Lennon with his long-estranged son Julian, and reconnect the former Beatle to his love for rock & roll, and all as the new couple fell ever . Pang remains in touch with some of the people from her time with Lennon, and Paul McCartney invited her to Linda McCartney's memorial service. He was such a magnificent writer. [5] Pang coordinated an art exhibition in Syracuse, New York, on October 9, 1971, for Ono's This Is Not Here art show at the Everson Museum. Yet, according to May Pang, who was Lennons 22-year-old live-in lover during that time, that was anything but the case. I was able to do whatever they asked me to do, she said. Pang believes Ono chose her to be the couples personal assistant because she was efficient. I figured, if there was going to be a film about my life, I should be involved. I knew, at that moment, if John and I had gone to meet Paul and Linda, there would have been new music. Yes, Yoko did approach me, and I thought it was insane, she says about being Lennons lover. Lennon thought it would be a good idea for the musicians to live under one roof to ensure they would get to the studio on time, so Pang rented a beach house in Santa Monica for her, Lennon, Nilsson, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon to live in. The daughter of Chinese immigrants (her Chinese name, Fung Yee, means "Phoenix bird"), May Pang grew up in New York, living with her parents and an adopted brother. John Lennon is pictured above with May Pang in 1974. She does pretty well with that on the merits of how she presents herself., Still, the image she suggests of Ono dovetails with the character many Beatle fans believed decades ago. At one point, George turned to me and said, May, this is the third party weve been to this week People are going to start talking about us. He was such a lovely man. He really enjoyed Julians company., Pang said she also helped reconnect Lennon with Julians mother, his first wife, Cynthia. Mainly, Pang said, it was Ono who gave the orders and there were a lot of them. She was vibrant and a bright light. documentaries to Albert Goldmans The Lives of John Lennon. Like many Lennon observers, Ive always felt like I knew the basic bones of it.